Hope
by Heather Giesbrecht
Summary: He just hoped that it wouldn't be long until their next meeting. Aragorn/Kai. Chapter 1 of 2 - Hope's Pool posted.


**Hope**

The Great Goddess Amateratsu no Ookami and Queen Varda Elentari of the Valar had a plan to briefly join their worlds together twice for everyone's betterment. This is a record of the first of those meetings.

Estel Elrondson had gone on a camping trip with Elladan and Elrohir a few days ago, now they'd been returning to Imladris. His older twin brothers had taught him weapons when Father wanted him to learn healing first. As he hadn't practiced with anything bigger than a dagger and just switched to a sword in the last two days his arms were incredibly sore. So, he'd gone to a near-by grassy-banked pool to soothe his arms. Since they were the only ones around besides animals under the season of fading's leaf-free trees, he hadn't thought anything would be able to surprise him.

Of course, that led to a boy clad in a dark-orange robe falling out of the sky into the pond with a huge splash. It confused him when the pale boy surfaced, his head was bald and there were...lines carved into it, long healed, but he didn't want to think what pain it would have caused. Slightly oddly shaped, dark-brown eyes darted wildly before resting on him, the other boy's breathing was heavy like he'd been running from someone.

Attracted by the noisy splash the youngest of his elder brothers, Elladan, rushed through the bushes to brandish a golden elven long sword at the stranger. It caused the boy to exclaim something in a language he didn't think that either Elladan or himself knew. Slowly, the orange-clad boy climbed out of the pool to kneel before his brother.

Cautiously, Elladan sheathed the sword and said in the common tongue, "We are not going to hurt you, young one." Grey-eyes looked up at him, "Estel, I am going to get Father. You should get him out of that robe in case he gets sick."

He climbed out of the pool to pick up his clothes and offer them to the stranger as Elladan turned to run for home. The boy stared at him and a pale-hand reached out to smooth a wet strand of hair behind his ear, a finger sliding along it expecting to find a gentle tip too. Black eyebrows furrowed at him, more words that he couldn't understand, then the boy gestured first to them then to the clothes. Remembering what Father had said about gestures being important when language was in the way, he nodded, shifting them to one hand and held the clothes out again. Better that the stranger have them, he had a third set of clothes back in camp.

A nod and the boy took them before going around to the other side of the pool. Wanting to give him privacy, he went in front of the bushes to wait for Elladan and Father. Not a minute later the boy came back clad in the dark-green inner-tunic, brown-pants, and likely the breeches as well, with the robe folded on his arm.

Estel heard himself mutter, "We can't keep calling you Boy and such. I think I'm going to call you...Loeg. My name is Estel it means 'Hope'." That he tried to emphasize by pointing to himself before putting a hand over his heart and extending it. "Why are you scared, Loeg ? What happened to you ?"

Loeg suddenly shook his head violently, saying something again. Even though he couldn't understand the language it sounded like Loeg was saying the same word over and over. Wherever Loeg came from did they not have lessons there or had whatever was chasing Loeg put enough fear in him to steal his words ?

Again, he nodded then guided Loeg to the camp. Elrohir just nodded to them and gestured for Loeg to sit by the newly re-kindled fire. With a strange bow - Loeg briefly bent with his hands in fists at his side - the bald boy warily sat down on a log and rested his robe by the fire. Glad that Loeg would be safe until Father arrived, he entered the middling-sized, white tent that he shared with Elladan to pull on a pair of breeches before donning a dark-silver inner-tunic and black-pants.

When he exited the tent, Father stern-looking as always and clad in a light- and dark-brown robe, strode into the camp wearing a herb satchel with Elladan following. Elladan and Elrohir shared Father's black-hair and grey-eyes. Once Father'd had a twin too, but Uncle Elros had chosen mortality and died over five thousand years ago. Uncle Elros had made and been King of Numenor where Father had eventually made and become Lord of Imladris.

Father crouched to Loeg's level and asked first in Sindarin, then common, "Can you understand me, young Master ?"

Loeg put three fingers to his lips before pulling them away and shaking his head. Father wondered, "Perhaps he knows a herb or two. It could tell us where in Arda he is from, if he is indeed from here. There is a strange energy about him that I have never felt before which tells me that he is not." before he pulled the satchel over his head.

One of Father's far-sight visions came then as he suddenly stared into the middle-distance. Wondering if Father's vision would have something to do with Loeg he stared at Father.

Suddenly, Father blinked again and said, "If the future does not change, Estel, you might meet with him again. Have you given the young Master a name in our tongue so that we may call him something ? Elladan kept calling him Master Boy as he had no option."

Truly ? He could meet Loeg again sometime ? It would be nice to do so as he hardly saw another child unless they went to visit the Dunedain.

Embarrassed, Estel admitted, "I, ah, I called him Loeg, Father."

"'Pool' ? Truly, Estel ? Merely because he fell into one, children." Father gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I suppose it could be worse. After all, you could have called him Limp. Being called Wet is more demoralizing than being called Pool, even if you cannot understand it."

Father pulled out a tea leaf and Loeg pointed at it before happily exclaiming something. There were a few more herbs that Loeg recognized then Father and Loeg stopped so that everyone could eat. A few pieces of bread, cheese, and an apple later, Loeg was rifling through his robe and pulled out a carving. It was of a man that had a hooked nose and brandished an elven long sword with a slightly shortened hilt. It both greatly touched and confused him when Loeg gave the carving to him.

He responded with many thanks and Loeg stood, before picking up his robe. A short time later, Loeg had changed back into his robe. The fire crackled before a burst of red and white fire-like magic suddenly wrapped around Loeg and he was gone.

Shocked and saddened, he exclaimed, "Father ! W-where did Loeg go ? H-he's not hurt is he ?"

With a faint smile Father answered, "Back to his world and he is fine. I am sure that you will see him again sometime, Estel."

Perhaps with his slightly strange eyes and language Loeg lived in the southern or eastern parts of Arda. Slightly happier, but still worried, he stared at the little carving and hoped that it wouldn't be long until their next meeting.


End file.
